Kyle Lowry and Masai Ujiri had a formal sit-down in the days leading to the trade deadline, their first such meeting since the Toronto Raptors traded DeMar DeRozan in a franchise altering deal for Kawhi Leonard. Lowry was involved in trade discussions with the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley Jr. and Marc Gasol.
“It was a well-needed conversation,” Lowry told The Athletic. “It was a very professional conversation and it had to be done. We had to get everything on the table. Listen, ‘Let’s have this conversation, let’s get everything out on the table, and move on.’ And that’s what grown men do. They have conversations, they figure it out, and you move on.
“It wasn’t a ‘F— you, f— you.’ It wasn’t me asking, ‘Hell, you want to trade me?’ At the end of the day, he’s going to make the decisions, right? I’m going to play no matter what it is. It was about making myself the best player that I can possibly be and getting on the same page about what he needs from me to be the best player – and vice versa. Just getting on the same page.”
The conversation served a practical purpose for Lowry.
“It was all about the now. It was about: How do we make every day work to the best of our abilities? We said: ‘This is what I would like to see done. This is what you should do. This is how we’re going to keep going.'”
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